A Game of Truth
by Morbubble
Summary: Aerrow is finding it hard to keep his secret...well, secret. Even more so when he and the object of his affections get stuck in a closet and Finn demands a game of truth! Will it become slash? Likely.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N; Well, this was a surprise. Didn't think I'd ever write a Storm Hawks fic. Still, I have, and hopefully you'll enjoy reading it as much as I did writing it. I'd forgotten how much I liked the programme till I watched it again. Anyway, read away, if you can stomach this rushed rubbish :L**

**Disclaimer; I don't own the characters or the show, just this story.**

Aerrow sat at a table on the bridge of the Condor, trying to read a tactics book and failing. He was tense and agitated, but thankfully he was alone. Junko was repairing one of the many run-down, broken and just plain busted parts of the ship, Piper had somehow managed to convince Stork to leave his beloved control station for a while and help her out with some crystal thing. Radarr was probably sleeping somewhere. And Finn...well, who knew. Probably wandering around and annoying everyone he came across, Aerrow thought with a smile. Then he grimaced. He couldn't believe himself. The tiniest thought of him made him smile, made him feel warm and happy. He could hit himself for his stupidity; of every human of every terra of every team in the whole of Atmos, why oh why did he have to go and fall for the most irritating, most immature, most selfish, self-centred and most unlikely-to-like-him-back guy he could? Aerrow glared at a piece of flooring a little way off. Why? Why why why why _why_? He felt like such a fool. How was it even possible for him to _like Finn_? Finn was an idiot. He was the brashest, most arrogant, lazy, egotistical, annoying, funny, hot, amazing, talented...and there he went again. He groaned in irritation, he couldn't even insult Finn in his mind without it going off on a tangent of its own and reminding him of what he _did _like about the sharp-shooter.

Aerrow sighed and rubbed his forehead. He really could not believe it. Couldn't believe he'd let this happen. Finn was his best friend, his teammate. Finn was a _guy_. What was he thinking? It's not like Finn liked guys, that much was pretty clear. He just about threw himself at every girl they came across; it was obvious he was straight. Aerrow knew he had about as much chance with Finn as a snowman did in hell. And yet, still he tortured himself. Every day he did it, tried so hard to make Finn laugh so he could delight in the knowledge that he'd made Finn happy, so that he could see that smile of his. Every day he'd watch him out of the corner of his eye, admiring the way he moved, the way his clothes framed his body perfectly. Every time they trained he made sure he trained with Finn just a little bit longer than with the others, so he had a few more minutes of time with him alone. He always trained with him first too, which meant he wasn't tired from fighting the rest. He may like him, but that didn't mean he'd go easy on him.

Aerrow shook his head at the way his thoughts were going. Lately his mind had begun to wander a lot more, and it inevitably landed and stayed with that irritatingly handsome blonde. He had tried many times to stop himself thinking about him. He tried reading books on tactics, but they were so dull he stopped concentrating on them within minutes. He tried doing chores but they were boring and mundane, and gave him too much time to think. He tried listening to music on his radio but sooner or later a band would come on and he'd think, "Finn likes them," and then he'd be off again. He tried training, he tried riding his bike, he tried patrolling, he tried everything. But nothing could keep his mind off Finn for more than a couple of hours at the very most.

Aerrow stared at the book, reading the first word for what had to be the fifth time. He was angry at himself for having allowed this to happen. He felt he could have –should have- stopped it. He sighed. His father would be ashamed. Not because Finn was a guy; Aerrow doubted his father would be against that, he had been a good man and not one for prejudice. But he would be disappointed in Aerrow's cowardice. The simple fact was that Aerrow was scared of rejection, scared of letting everyone down...but most of all he was scared by how he felt. He'd never felt anything like this before and he just did not know what to do about it.

He couldn't even talk to anyone about it. It's not the sort of conversation he could strike up with Stork, heck you couldn't strike up _any _kind of conversation with Stork that didn't involve some infectious disease or parasitic invasion. He couldn't talk to Junko about it; Junko was Finn's best friend, he would undoubtedly tell him. And he couldn't really discuss it with Piper either. Lately he felt she'd been giving him a little more attention than was normal or necessary. He wasn't sure if she actually liked him, but he wasn't prepared to find out. Besides he didn't want to hurt her feelings over something stupid. Stupid...again he wondered if it _was_ just some silly crush or if it was something a little bit more. But then Finn sauntered in the room and Aerrow's heart skipped a beat and his eyes couldn't stay away from him, his legs wanted to run to him and his arms wanted to hold him and his chest felt like someone was beating it from the inside with a hammer. Then he realised it was his heart beating faster after its momentary pause. Was this really just a crush? Somehow he doubted it.

Finn grinned when he spotted Aerrow which only made it harder for the red-head to keep his cool. He smiled casually above the top of his book and then pretended to start reading again. Finn sat down heavily beside him and slumped over the table.

"Man I'm so bored." He groaned. Aerrow smirked and shook his head. That was normal. Finn was always bored.

"That makes a change." He commented drily.

"Watcha reading?" he replied, sounding only vaguely interested.

"Eh...a book on tactics..." Aerrow responded lamely. He didn't even remember what the book was called, he'd just picked it up at random from a pile in his room. Finn rolled his eyes.

"Wow, dude, exciting stuff."

"It might not be thrilling, but it's important to know."

"Mhm, sure. Tell me one thing you've learnt from it?" Dammit, thought Aerrow.

"Uh, well..." Quickly he tried to think of something. He scanned the page he was on before he realised he was still on the Contents page. Dammit! He thought again. Finn laughed at his expression.

"See? You're as bored by it as I would be. I wanna do something interesting. Wanna go for a ride?" he asked, and Aerrow's heart leapt at the thought. He could do with a good race, some healthy competition. Plus it meant spending time with Finn and that was quite a bonus. Then Piper's stern voice floated into his mind, as he remembered a conversation he'd had with her just the other day. She'd been angry with him because he'd had "a pointless race" with Finn, "wasting precious energy". She'd told him that he shouldn't "indulge Finn, he's always bored!" and that if she found "one more crystal missing from my supply I swear I will kick the two of you into next week!"

Aerrow winced slightly at the memory. Piper was right; they had to conserve fuel in case they were attacked. Sighing he shook his head.

"Sorry, Finn, we need to save energy. If Piper finds another crystal missing from her supply she'll kill us." Finn groaned in disappointment.

"Aw no way! Totally not fair. I'm dying here!" He put his forehead down on the table with a thump and sat that way for several moments. Aerrow couldn't help but study the blonde's features as he shut his eyes and grumbled quietly. He was just beautiful in every way; his hair, his mouth, his eyes, his face...all perfect, all out of bounds. Aerrow closed his eye for a moment as this thought crossed his mind. When he opened them again, Finn was no longer leaning his forehead on the desk, but his chin. His eyes were narrowed in thought, his mouth twisted slightly in a scheming smirk.

"I know that look. That's the look you always get when you've come up with a stupid idea that will inevitably get us into a whole heap of trouble. I always get nervous when I see that smile..."

"Oh come on Aerrow, you don't even know what I'm thinking yet!" Finn said indignantly.

"No, and chances are I don't want to know. Every time I listen to you and go along with your ideas Piper tries to kill me. I'd like to live through today thanks." Aerrow said, trying to focus on the book even though really, he did want to know what Finn had come up with. It was bound to be more interesting than tactics, anyway.

"Listen, just hear me out. You said she'd kill us if a crystal went missing from _her supply_, yeah?" Aerrow nodded suspiciously. Where was this going? Finn grinned. "Great! Come on!" Quickly he jumped up and grabbed Aerrow's wrist, practically hauling him to his feet and dragging him down the corridor. Aerrow smiled bemusedly as he allowed himself to be towed along. Soon they arrived at one of the many store closets aboard the ship. Finn eagerly pressed he button to unlock it and then pushed Aerrow in first.

The closet was narrow, with floor to ceiling shelves lining the walls stacked with all kinds of junk. It didn't extend very far back and it was fairly cramped. Aerrow found himself very close to Finn, although he wasn't sure whether that was a good or bad thing. He felt a tremor run through him every time Finn accidentally bumped his elbow as the blonde shifted boxes aside, muttering under his breath.

"...gotta be here somewhere, I know I put 'em in here..."

"Finn...what exactly are we looking for?" asked Aerrow, trying to concentrate on something other than the person standing so very close to him.

"Power crystals dude," said Finn as though it were obvious. "I found a whole bunch of 'em on the last terra we stopped on, put them in a box and hid them in here to keep Piper away from them." Aerrow nodded and began helping him look. There were plenty of boxes around but none of them were full of power crystals. They found ancient magazines, spare armour, nuts and bolts, cables, tubing, wire, old and broken circuit boards, chipped tableware, rocks, even a jar of sequins (although they couldn't think what they would be used for) in the boxes, but not a single flash of light from the crystals could they find.

Just as Aerrow was ready to give up he felt a slight breeze around his legs coming though the open door. Someone must have opened the hangar, he thought. Maybe I should check in case there's something wrong...

As he tried to edge around Finn he heard a strange creaking noise. Finn looked over his shoulder at Aerrow who had stopped when he heard the noise and was now wedged between Finn's back and the shelving unit behind him. Aerrow felt his face redden as there was no escaping how close they were.

"What was that?" asked Finn, who didn't seem to have noticed their rather awkward situation. Aerrow just shrugged, when another creak sounded. At the same time they both looked to the door and saw it start to swing shut. They shouted in alarm and tried to get to it and prop it open; there was no way to open it from the inside. But due to their cramped position they couldn't reach it in time, and the door closed with a loud boom. Aerrow, who'd managed to free himself, connected not with thin air but with the hard metal of the door and stumbled to the ground. Swearing under his breath he rubbed his temple, and then he felt a hand under his elbow as he was hoisted up. In the dim light that now filled the closet from one tiny bulb he could barely make out Finn's face but he heard the laughter in his voice.

"You ok there bro?"

"Tch, yes." His face flushed red again Finn leant in closer to try and inspect the damage in the low light, and he quickly turned away to try and open the door. He pushed it experimentally and when it didn't budge he leant on it with all his strength. But the door would not move. Panting slightly with effort he pushed on the door again and again. Suddenly he was aware of body behind him and arms either side as Finn tried to push the door as well. Aerrow was becoming more and more grateful for the dull light as his cheeks burned even more than before. After a few minutes they gave up and slid to the floor, breathing heavily. Finn sat across from Aerrow and they both tried to get their breath back.

"Great. We're stuck in here till someone finds us. How likely is that? No-one uses this closet, they'll never know we're in here. We're trapped here forever dude." Moaned Finn. Aerrow felt a little hurt.

"What, the idea of being stuck in here with me that bad is it?" He said before he could stop himself, and he immediately regretted it. What a stupid thing to say.

"No way, I didn't mean it like that! Aw hell, come on Aerrow, you know that's not what I meant!" said Finn quickly. Aerrow laughed a little.

"It's ok, I was only kidding." They sat in silence for a few more minutes until Finn sighed.

"Aerrow..."

"Mmm?"

"I'm bored again."

"Oh for goodness sake." Aerrow smiled as he spoke. Typical Finn.

"Aerrow..." Finn said a few moments later. This time though, Aerrow could hear the 'look' in his friend's voice. He knew Finn had thought of something, and he had a bad feeling about it.

"What?" he said warily.

"Since, you know, we're gonna die in here and everything," Aerrow rolled his eyes but said nothing. "Why don't we play a little game? It's like truth or dare, without the dare." Aerrow felt his smile freeze on his face. No way. He couldn't let Finn know _his_ biggest secret. He would hate him, he'd never talk to him again. Surely someone would find them soon enough, they'd get out and then it would be awful. If Finn knew how he felt...Aerrow felt sick just thinking about it.

"Not gonna happen Finn. Not a chance." He replied shaking his head, though all Finn could see was a vague shape in the gloomy cupboard.

"Oh come on Aerrow! We may as well. If we're gonna starve to death in here we should get all our secrets out in the open, y'know? It'll be good to get them out there. Come on, please?" Finn whined.

"No!"

"Please? For me?" Now Finn had done it. There was no way Aerrow could refuse him. Even though he couldn't bear the thought of Finn hating him, he just couldn't say no to that. For you, Finn? For you...I'd do anything, Aerrow thought. He sighed in annoyance at his weakness.

"I'm going to regret this...but fine." Muttered Aerrow.

"Alright! Ok, here are the rules. We ask each other a yes/no question. If the answer's no it passes to the other player, if it's yes you ask another question till the answer's no. Got it?"

"I guess so..."

"Ok, you go first." Great, thought Aerrow. What do I ask? Wait. I know.

"Do I have to? Ugh. Do you...um..." Aerrow pretended to think, then shrugged. "Hmm. Do you have a crush on Piper?" He asked in what he hoped was a nonchalant voice. He didn't want to let on that his every nerve was tense, waiting for the answer. Finn burst out laughing.

"_Piper_? Seriously dude, Piper? No way." He laughed again and Aerrow felt his whole body relax with relief. But Finn's question made him tense up all over again.

"Ok, how about you? You got a crush on anyone?" Aerrow didn't know what to do. But he couldn't lie to him, not when the whole point of this stupid game was honesty. So he took a deep breath.

"...Yeah." he whispered.

"Sweet! Ok then...Is it someone on the team?" Aerrow swallowed, his body stiff.

"Yes..." he said very quietly.

"Aha! Interesting. Hmm. Is it..." he laughed. "Oh, I know. Is it Junko?" Finn laughed as he spoke.

"Junko? Don't be ridiculous." said Aerrow. He almost wanted to laugh along with Finn at the thought. Almost. This was getting dangerous. He had to try and move Finn away from this subject. He knew it was someone on the team and Finn was bound to work it out sooner or later. He might not be the brightest crayon in the box but he wasn't that stupid.

"Ok my turn." He said quickly. "Do you actually like being a Sky Knight and helping people?"

"What kinda question is that?" asked Finn curiously. Aerrow shrugged.

"Well, yeah, I do. I guess I didn't at first...I really just did it cos it was something to do, you know?"

"That's why I asked. Do you still feel the same way?"

"No way. It's partly cause of you to be honest. You care about everyone, you wanna help everyone. I didn't get that at first...but it's awesome. I really respect you for it." There was a silence as Finn mentally punched himself for saying something so bloody stupid and Aerrow tried to squash the ridiculous little spark of hope and happiness that had appeared at Finn's words. He respected him?

There was silence for a few moments.

"So, is it still my turn?" asked Aerrow, hoping to keep Finn from asking anything more.

"No way man, you asked if I still felt the same and I said no. Quit trying to cheat!" Finn laughed. "Ok, dude, my turn. So if it's not Junko...maybe it's Stork?" The humour didn't leave Finn's voice.

"No." Muttered Aerrow. It was getting to close for comfort.

"Hmm. Interesting indeed. That only leaves..."

"Do you hear that?" Aerrow cut him off, the sound of footsteps outside having caught his attention. Relief flooded through him and he stood sharply. He could hardly believe his luck.

"Hey! Hey, whoever that is, open the door would you?" he shouted through the door, desperation seeping into his voice a little bit. He knew that if he didn't get out now Finn would find out, and that would not be good at all. Finn stood as well and thumped the metal.

"Hey! Hello! Trapped in a cupboard here!" The footsteps stopped and a surprised voice floated through the door.

"Aerrow? Finn? What are you doing in the cupboard?"

"Piper! Piper, open the door!" Aerrow shouted. Suddenly the door swung open and the two practically fell out. Aerrow jumped to his feet, murmured his thanks to Piper and turned to go, his face bright red. He couldn't be around Finn right now. Suddenly Piper's concerned face appeared right in front of him.

"Aerrow? Are you ok? You look a little upset." At her words he noticed Finn turned to look at him.

"U-upset? No, don't be silly Piper, I'm fine. I...I need to go, patrol duty calls..." he said, starting to edge down the corridor towards the hangar.

"Hey, I'll come too." Grinned Finn. Aerrow froze.

"No! No, you um...you stay here. Help Piper clean the kitchen or something."

"Excuse me?" asked Piper indignantly. "What do you take me for, a maid?"

"Aw come on man! We didn't finish our game of truth!"

"No!"

"But Aerrow..."

"That's an order Finn!" snapped Aerrow. Quickly he turned on his heel and stormed off, leaving his teammates standing in the middle of the corridor looking at one another in confusion. He didn't relax until he reached the hangar and had shut the door behind him, leaving him alone. Leaning against the door he stared at nothing in particular, worry clouding his mind. Finn must have worked it out, surely, he thought. Then again he might think I like Piper. It'd be a whole lot simpler if I did, he thought grimly. Either way I have to keep my distance from him. This is getting ridiculous. Aerrow told himself to forget about Finn, forget about the whole thing. He'd stay away from him, and eventually he was bound to move on, wasn't he? He couldn't like him forever, could he? It was only a little crush; he'd get over it soon. It's not like he...loved him or anything...did he?

**A/N;**

**Well that was...interesting. I've no idea how this went; good, bad or otherwise. Anyway, thanks for reading and apologies for the length. I hope no-one was **_**too**_** OOC, but I think they probably were. Chapter 2 should be done soon, I think it will only be a two-parter. Oh, and if you like, you could always review **** That would make me happy.**

**Hope you liked it. Ciao!**


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N;**

**Ok so here's Chapter 2. Hope you all like it! **

**Disclaimer; I don't own Storm Hawks, just this story.**

**Edit; Yeah so I edited the end a little bit. Nothing major, just got rid of some stuff I didn't like. Read on!**

Finn stared out at the vast Atmos sky, his mind whirring as thoughts chased each other round his head. He was frowning; he wasn't really used to _thinking_ so much. Usually, his head consisted of breakfast-Skimmer-Aerrow (a little of course, only a little)-lunch-rock music-Aerrow (briefly, he thought, briefly! He...well, he thought about the whole team didn't he?)-dinner-music-sleep. He shook his head when he realised where his thoughts were going again. Seriously, he told himself, I don't think about him that much. It's just...you know, the way you think about any of your friends. Yeah, that was all. Just kind of in passing. And he definitely did _not_ dream about him, he just dreamt of stuff that had happened with the team, the missions and battles they'd been through. And besides, even if he did dream of him, it was just...just curiosity or something.

Finn growled in irritation. Who was he kidding, of course it wasn't just curiosity, it wasn't just briefly. No matter how hard he tried to deny it...he did like Aerrow. He'd been trying to bury it for so long by chasing every pretty girl he met. He thought eventually one of them would steal him, make him fall in love with them. But it didn't work, and he realised now that it never would. Now that he'd narrowed it down, now that he knew Aerrow liked either Piper or him...he simply couldn't think about anything else. He didn't dare believe it was him; he didn't know if he could take it if he got his hopes up then to find it was Piper Aerrow liked. It would kill him. Chances of it being me; minus a million, he thought glumly.

Finn had no doubt that it was Piper who held Aerrow's heart. And it was pretty obvious to him that she liked Aerrow a lot too. Finn remembered how nervous Aerrow had sounded when he'd asked Finn if he had a crush on Piper. He was probably worried that he would be competition, and now that he knew he wasn't he would surely make a move on her.

Suddenly Finn froze. Wait...what if the reason Aerrow had been so nervous wasn't in case Finn was competition? What if...what if he liked him, maybe he was worried he didn't stand a chance?

Finn allowed a tiny, hopeful smile to break over his face. What if that were true? Maybe it was. Or maybe Finn was just fooling himself. That last thought brought him crashing back down to earth. He slumped over the railing and groaned. What was he gonna do?

"Finn. Hey Finn..._Finn!_" shouted a voice near his ear. Great, he thought. Just the person I wanted to speak to. Slowly he dragged himself into a standing position and turned to face the source of his irritation.

"What, Piper?" he asked monotonously. She had a concerned look on her face.

"I...well I don't really know how to say this..." Piper nervously chewed her bottom lip and Finn rolled his eyes.

"Come on, spit it out, Piper." She took a breath.

"Well I know this is weird but...I'm worried about Aerrow." Finn grimaced. Why was he not surprised by her clear lack of concern for himself?

"Why?" Finn said, feigning disinterest.

"Well, I know he's always so strong and calm and stuff but lately...it's like he's losing his touch or...or something, and I was wondering if you could talk to him. He might listen to you. I mean, you're his best friend, he tells you everything." Finn snorted.

"Not everything." He turned away and leant on the railing again. Piper sighed.

"I can't believe I'm telling you this but...I'm worried about you both. You've been acting really weird lately, you and Aerrow. I mean, you're moping around the place in a foul mood and Aerrow barely talks to anyone and when he does it isn't civil. What happened when you guys were in that closet to make you both so...so aggravated?"

"Nothing." Finn replied shortly. He hadn't realised his mood was so obvious and he hadn't noticed Aerrow's because the red-head had made sure he wasn't left alone in the room with Finn at any point. Finn figured it was because he was worried he'd grill him about liking Piper. Suddenly another crazy, insanely wonderful thought crossed his mind. What if he avoided him because it was Finn he wanted? He stomped that thought down straight away. He would not let himself hope, he would not cause himself so much pain.

"Well it was obviously something. Just tell me, it can't be that big a deal."

"Piper, do me a favour. Leave me alone." Finn really did not want to be around her right now.

"No! This is stupid Finn, you're both acting like a couple of kids! Look, I want to help. Maybe there's something I can do?"

"Just drop it Piper!" Finn shouted, his annoyance finally released. She stared at him in shock. Angrily he shook his head and stormed off, heading for his room. Piper stood still on the bridge in surprise; Finn could get annoyed and become insufferably childish, but he never really became furious like that. Her curiosity and concern were growing as she wondered what on earth had happened that day.

Finn walked briskly through the halls of the Condor, hoping that he could take his mind off things by listening to some music. Not that that ever worked; even on his rock music station it seemed every second song was about love. He could practically taste the irony. His footsteps faltered slightly as he passed Aerrow's room. He could knock. He could go in. He could ask him once and for all and put himself out of his misery one way or another. But he just couldn't bring himself to knock on the door. It was just a thin plank of metal and yet the thought of what was on the other side terrified him. So he kept walking.

Soon he reached his own room and sighing he threw himself on his bed. He lay there face down for a few moments. Although he tried to tell himself not to, he once more began to think about who it was that Aerrow wanted.

Well, he thought, Piper's pretty. Beautiful, in fact. She's smart and cool and funny (occasionally, he smirked). She liked Aerrow, there was no doubt about that. And the two of them got on well enough. And...well...that was it, he realised. Aerrow and me get on great, he thought curiously. And I can always get him to laugh. I can get him to laugh so hard he can barely breathe. Never seen Piper do that. _And _Aerrow trains with me all the time. He doesn't train with her nearly as much. _And_ we have great fun racing and stuff. Piper's always stopping us. She's always giving us lectures. She's so boring sometimes, he thought. He liked Piper of course, but Finn just wanted to have a laugh, to have fun. He knew he was irresponsible at times and that he put others in danger (although come to think of it, it was usually Aerrow that came to save him) and that he was childish. But he liked it that way. Piper could be serious enough for them both, he reasoned.

Suddenly Finn sat up bolt right. He realised everything he'd just thought was entirely true. Aerrow did seem to have more fun with Finn. And he always seemed to want to spend time with him. And even though Finn could come up with insanely stupid ideas, Aerrow was always there to help him out or be stupid along with him. Aerrow had been worried about asking Finn who he liked. He'd been avoiding him for days. He'd been moody. Was it really because he was scared Finn thought it was Piper? Or because Finn thought it was him? Finn began to grin like an idiot. Maybe it was him? Maybe, just maybe, his feelings were returned. Finn jumped off his bed and flung open his door. He couldn't take this anymore anyway. He had to know. And if it turned out that it was Piper and he'd been right all along...he didn't know what he'd do. It would be the end of him, he knew that. But he couldn't think that way now or he'd just chicken out again like all those other times.

Finn sprinted along the corridor and skidded to a halt outside Aerrow's door. He'd stood outside this door countless times in the past, trying to think up any kind of excuse to go on in and talk to Aerrow, but always running away in the end. The eager confidence he'd felt in his room was instantly dissolved by a wave of panic. Just a few feet from him sat the most wonderful person he'd ever known and the only person he'd ever love. Because he knew now that it couldn't simply be called a silly little crush. He was completely and utterly, head-over-heels in love with his best friend. And the thought of telling him petrified him the same as the thought of rejection did. Oh god he thought, oh god what if it is her? I'll never be able to look at him again.

Shaking his head, he pushed his fears from his thoughts. He couldn't let them stop him now, not when he was so close to knowing. His jaw set and his eyes narrowed in determination. Taking a deep breath, he rapped on the door.

"Go away Piper." Said a moody voice from inside. Finn steeled himself and pushed the button to open the door. It slid aside quickly and Finn stepped inside. Aerrow sat on his bed with his back to the door, his elbows resting on his knees with his hands clasped in front of him and his head bowed. Finn's heart ached to see his leader so down.

"I said go away, Piper." Aerrow muttered again without turning. Finn shook his head.

"Dude, I'm not Piper." He smiled as the red-head spun round, his eyes wide with shock.

"Finn? What are you doing here?" Finn thought he could hear a tiny hint of happiness in Aerrow's voice, but he was probably imagining it.

"Well you've been avoiding me so I figured I'd have to come to you." Aerrow turned away from him.

"I haven't been avoiding you." He mumbled.

"Sure you have. Dude, you practically run a mile whenever I walk in the room."

"That's not true." Finn sighed and sat on the end of the bed, his back to Aerrow who shifted a little. Finn was too close for him to think properly. The room was completely quiet for a moment. Finn desperately tried to think of something to say, something that would break the god awful silence that weighed him down and mocked his insecurity. Every second made it worse and worse.

"So, um...Piper's worried about you, man." He said lamely. Aerrow snorted.

"Yeah well, I don't see why."

"Dude, you've been hiding out in here for days. She thinks something must have happened that day, y'know, when we got locked in that cupboard." He swallows as he thinks back on that afternoon. Aerrow tenses.

"Well nothing did. She's got nothing to worry about."

"Thought you'd say that."

"Why did you come here then? What, did Piper put you up to it?" Aerrow asked sharply. Finn winced at the harshness in his voice.

"No...well, she wanted me to talk to you but I didn't come cos of her."

"You didn't? Then why did you?" Finn gulped as he prepared to speak. He wanted to turn and look at Aerrow, but he didn't think he could take it if he saw rejection in his eyes. What would he think of him? Would he hate him? Would he run from him? Would he throw him out of the Storm Hawks? All these possibilities flew through his mind and scared him half to death. But he swallowed his fear and his pride and spoke out.

"Because...because I was worried too. And...I want to know...I mean, we never finished our game of truth and I still don't know..." Aerrow stood quickly in exasperation and threw his hands in the air.

"Finn! I don't want to talk about that stupid game of truth, ok? Piper's been on and on at me trying to get me to tell her what's wrong, I don't need it from you as well! I'm fine, alright?" Aerrow stood behind the chair at his desk and gripped it till his knuckles went white.

"I'm sorry man. I just...it's killing me here." Finn said quietly, his eyes on the floor. Aerrow glanced at him in confusion. Killing him? Why? He felt a little flame of hope flicker in his chest. Could that mean...?

"Me too." He said boldly. Finn looked up and Aerrow thought he could see anticipation in his eyes. But this soon vanished and Finn's eyes returned to the floor.

"Look I...I'm not going to tell her or anything. Don't worry." Finn said. He wouldn't let his stupid dreams build him up just to destroy him. This confused Aerrow; tell her?

"Tell who what?" he asked quietly. The blonde across from him stared at the floor and fidgeted. Then he glanced up and forced a grin.

"Tell Piper that...you know." He felt sick at the stupid smirk on his face.

"Know...what?" Aerrow whispered.

"Well that you...that you like her." Finn said in what he hoped was a nonchalant voice. Aerrow felt his heart crash through the floor, ripping out all his organs and his breath along the way. He couldn't believe it. He'd thought Finn might suspect that but the way he spoke about it seemed like he didn't even care. He turned away from him and closed his eyes. Could he really let Finn believe that? No. No he could not.

"But Finn...I don't like Piper." He whispered.

"Wait...you mean...you like _me?_" Aerrow gritted his teeth and nodded.

"Yes..." He said almost imperceptibly. He was so worried at the thought of his friend's reaction that he didn't even hear the note of eager hope in Finn's voice. Silence filled the room as Aerrow kept his eye tight shut, willing the tears beneath his eyelids to just disappear and the ground to swallow him up. He expected Finn to yell at him, hit him, run a mile. What he definitely did not expect was two slender arms to wrap around him and elated laughter in his ear. His eyes flew open in shock and he twisted his head round to see Finn's leaning on his shoulder.

"F...Finn?" he stuttered in amazement. Did this mean what he thought?

"Oh man, you have no idea how long I've wanted you to say that!" Aerrow stood still for a few moments, Finn's words didn't quite compute. But then he realised what he'd said and he heard the laughter and felt the arms around him and he knew he wasn't dreaming and that this was real; Finn was hugging him, _Finn liked him back._ A huge grin spread across Aerrow's face and he turned in Finn's grasp so that they were facing one another.

"You mean...you're not mad at me?" He asked. Finn could see the joy and apprehension glittering in the red-head's eyes. He just wanted to capture that moment; the look on his face, the happiness he felt, and keep it in a box and savour it forever. He couldn't stop the smile that lit up his face at Aerrow's question. But he felt so happy that words just couldn't express how he felt; besides, he wasn't very good with them anyway. So instead, he leant forward and pressed his lips to Aerrow's for the briefest of moments before pulling back into Aerrow's shocked but elated eyes.

"Mad?" He whispered. "No way dude." He said, feeling like a bit of a sap. But the sheer happiness in Aerrow's eyes made him forget all about his embarrassment, the rest of the team, about everything. Aerrow quickly moved in and kissed him, but this time their lips lingered. Finn gripped the nape of his leader's neck as the red-head twisted his hand in his blonde hair. All the passion and love Finn had felt and suppressed over the last few years that he'd known him suddenly exploded into the kiss and he pushed Aerrow against a nearby wall. The red-head grinned into the kiss at Finn's enthusiasm and responded in kind. Wishing the moment could last forever they only broke apart when the desperate need for oxygen forced them to. Breathing hard, Finn looked into Aerrow's deep green eyes.

"Aerrow...I love you." He said simply. He wasn't going to tell him, maybe it was too soon. Maybe that was a mistake. Finn started to mumble something about ignoring him, but Aerrow felt like his heart didn't quite fit in his chest as the words he'd dreamt of hearing for so long touched his mind. He shook his head as Finn moved back a little and held him closer.

"I love you too Finn." He grinned, happy tears shining in his eyes. Finn looked surprised but soon started beaming as his teammate pulled him closer into a deep kiss.

I love you so much Aerrow. And I always will, thought Finn.

I could never love another like I love you, my irreplaceable sharpshooter, thought Aerrow. I'll love you, always.

**Mhm, so there we have it. I have to be honest I'm not very keen on the ending (apologies for the generous heapings of cheese in there xD) Any suggestions? Could I improve it somehow? Also –now this is important, this- should I write another chapter? I dunno. I have an idea. But is this fic worth continuing? Tell me your thoughts, be they good, bad or ugly. **

**And of course, thanks for reading. Love for you :]**


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N; So I decided to write another chapter, yay! Mmm, I can just feel everyone's excitement. Hahaha. Anyway, enough ridiculousness; on with the show!**

**Oh and thank you all for reading.**

**Disclaimer; the characters and show aren't mine, you all know that. **

Finn and Aerrow sat together for a long time on Aerrow's bed, talking and laughing at their blindness to the other's feelings. Both of them still felt a little giddy at knowing their love wasn't as unrequited as they'd always thought. They kept their hands entwined the whole time, feeling ridiculously sappy but unbelievably content. After a while, Finn suddenly remembered something that put a slight dent in his happiness.

"Hey dude...what are you gonna do about Piper?" Aerrow glanced at him in confusion.

"What do you mean?" he asked.

"Well, you must have noticed that she likes you." Aerrow groaned.

"Aw hell. I hoped I was imagining that." He mumbled and ran a hand through his hair. "I dunno. I'll have to tell her. That'll be fun." He sighed.

"Mm. Want me to tell her?" He shook his head.

"Nah, it should be me. Thanks." Finn smiled and squeezed Aerrow's shoulder. Their eyes locked and they moved closer.

Suddenly, just centimetres from one another, a screeching noise ripped through the silence and ruined the moment. It was the alarm. Finn groaned and shut his eyes.

"Cyclonians...great." Aerrow grinned and pressed a light kiss to Finn's lips. It took all his will power not to ignore the siren and just be with him. But he knew he couldn't. Sighing, he looked at the blonde.

"Come on. Let's go get 'em, sharpshooter." He jumped up and pulled Finn's hand. Smiling they sprinted along the corridor to the hangar, only letting go of each other when they reached the door. Junko and Piper were already there and getting on their Skimmers. Without a word the two joined them. The hangar opened and the flash of sunlight blinded them momentarily. They all looked at each other briefly, sharing confident smiles before flying out to meet the enemy. They noticed immediately that the Dark Ace was among them and his sneering glare sent a shiver down their spines. But they refused to show their fear and instead they smirked back at him. Cyclonian after Cyclonian came at them but they took them down with relative ease. But even so it was a fierce fight, and Aerrow was nearly knocked off his bike many times because his attention was all on Finn. He suddenly felt even more protective of him than normal and the fear that Finn might get hurt threatened to ruin his concentration. He shouldn't worry, he knew. His sharpshooter was more than capable of taking out a few Talons. But he still couldn't help the nerves that threatened to swallow him. He shook his head and forced himself to focus.

Finn was also finding it difficult to keep his mind on the matter at hand. He couldn't stop thinking about how near Aerrow had been to him, how close they'd been to kissing, how happy he'd felt and how annoyed he was at the Cyclonians for ruining it all. He was so absorbed in his musings over his red-headed leader that he didn't notice the Cyclonian flying towards him from behind. As the enemy levelled their gun at Finn Aerrow glanced up and his heart stopped dead.

"Finn..." he whispered in fear. "Finn!" Aerrow's alarmed voice reached him and he looked down to see his terrified eyes. He pointed wildly behind Finn who turned his bike quickly. The shot that would have hit him hit the engine of his Skimmer instead.

"Aw hell no." Muttered Finn. He'd been thrown off his bike about a million times before; as the engine all but exploded beneath him he groaned inwardly and put that up to one million and one. The bike began to fall and he cried out. No matter how many times he fell off it always sent a little tingle of fear through his body. As he slid off his bike and began to plummet to the ground he kept a fierce grip on his crossbow. Maybe this was it, this time. Aerrow...

"Finn!" He heard his name shouted desperately and suddenly he wasn't falling anymore. He realised that Aerrow had flown right underneath him and now he was sprawled across the front of his bike. Relief at not being splattered across the ground of a random terra flooded through him and he laughed. Once again, it was his beloved leader who had saved him. Quickly and carefully he grabbed his arm and swung round so he was sitting behind Aerrow.

"Finn, hold onto me!" Oh, with pleasure, he thought. He grinned; right then he didn't care about the attack or where his teammates were, because he was _so close _to his wonderful red-head that he couldn't quite concentrate. Happily he leaned forward and kissed his jaw. Aerrow started and glanced round at him.

"Finn! W-what are you doing?"

"Mm? Sorry but you just looked so...tasty." Finn murmured, flushing a little and feeling stupid. But he was rewarded as Aerrow blushed as red as his hair and gaped at him, which just made him laugh all the more. Aerrow tried to ignore him and focus on the battle but Finn was muttering all kinds of...interesting ideas of what they could do after the fight which was not helping his concentration at all.

Unknown to the two of them they were being watched. The Dark Ace hovered above the battle and had noticed with delight that Finn had been thrown off his Skimmer. His smirk had disappeared when he saw the blonde land on Aerrow's bike, but his interest had been rekindled when he saw what happened next. Finn had _kissed _Aerrow, and Aerrow had _blushed_. Then he'd gone even more red when Finn started whispering in his ear. Dark Ace stared in disbelief for a moment, but then his shock had turned to laughter. Oh this was just too good, he thought. The leader of the Storm Hawks, in a relationship with one of his subordinate officers? This was priceless, this could make quite a difference. Chuckling darkly he sped towards the two. Finn was shooting Cyclonians down with one hand and his other arm was curled loosely around Aerrow. Too loosely, snickered Ace. He snuck up behind their bike, malicious glee across his face. He reached out a hand and grabbed Finn's outstretched wrist, taking them both by surprise. Finn yelled in shock and Aerrow shouted his name and tried to grab him, but Ace was just too quick. Ace laughed evilly as the blonde struggled in his grasp and tried to angle his crossbow at him. Ace snarled and tightened his grip. Finn gasped in pain but didn't drop his weapon.

"Let me go! Let me go or I'll shoot!" Ace rolled his eyes and pulled Finn up to face him, with some effort. The sharpshooter wasn't as light as he'd thought.

"I let you go, you die. You shoot me, you die. So why don't you just be a good boy and hang there quietly?" He lowered him again and ignored his struggles. He grinned as he glanced behind him and saw Aerrow racing after them, determination masking the fear in his eyes.

"Dark Ace! Let him go, now!"

"Let him go? Oh I don't think that would be a good idea, not for him. Although I'm sure he would make a nice decoration impaled on the top of those mountains down there, wouldn't you agree?"

"Leave him alone!" Aerrow glared at Ace and stood on his Skimmer, hovering near his nemesis. Ace cackled as Aerrow drew his weapons.

"Must it always end in violence?" he sighed in mock dismay. Aerrow glared at him, and he smirked.

"Give him to me or I will kill you, Dark Ace." Stated Aerrow through gritted teeth. Ace was a little surprised; Aerrow had never threatened him with death before. He glanced down at Finn again.

"Kill me? Well well, this fool must mean more to you than I thought, How about...a deal?" He said as an idea formed in his mind. Aerrow narrowed his eyes suspiciously.

"Make a deal with you? No way." Ace shrugged.

"Well in that case I don't really need this little piece of bait anymore then." He loosened his grip a little and Finn slipped, causing both he and Aerrow to yell in alarm. Ace cackled as he held Finn's wrist.

"Alright Ace, alright. What do you want?"

"Aerrow, no way man! Don't make a deal with this guy!" shouted Finn.

"Shut it you," hissed Ace. He turned back to Aerrow. "Well, I was planning on taking this one back to Master Cyclonis. She wanted me to get her a new plaything, and she does so love her prisoners of war for that. And I'm sure that _I_ too, could think of plenty of things to do with a hostage." He smirked cruelly and Finn felt his blood run cold as those evil eyes turned on him. He knew he definitely did _not _want to find out what Ace would do to him; there was no doubt in his mind that it would be painful and awful.

"But. I could be persuaded to take another in his place. After all I'm sure she would prefer another to this idiot. Say, for instance...you." Aerrow stared and lowered his weapons. He could hear Finn protesting and yelling at him not to even so much as _think_ about doing that, not to be so stupid. But he knew he would be that stupid; he had to be. He could think of only one thing worse than being at the mercy of Master Cyclonis and Dark Ace, and that was Finn being there. He could not, would not allow that to happen.

"Fine. I'll do it."

"No Aerrow! No way! Don't do this man, the team needs you! I...I'll be fine, you can't give yourself up for me!"

"Excellent. Good choice Aerrow." He motioned to two Cyclonians who had come to assist their leader. "Take him." He commanded. They flew up alongside Aerrow, ready to grab him. But they wouldn't get that far. Two crossbow bolts suddenly fired through the Skimmers, ripping their engines out and sending their owners screaming and parachuting to the ground. Ace snarled as he looked down at Finn who was glaring at him in determination. Aerrow couldn't believe what had just happened. Finn had saved him. He smiled a little, but he wished Finn hadn't. He needed to do this; he couldn't bear the thought of losing Finn to them. Better he went instead.

Ace hauled Finn up again to look him in the eye.

"Why you insolent little brat..." he didn't get any further because Finn, with all the strength he could muster, swung his free hand round and punched Ace in the jaw. The blow was so fierce and so unexpected that Ace's face snapped to the side. Fury began to rage within him and with a yell he struck Finn back, before dropping him in sheer anger. Bait or not he would _not_ allow that little brat to hit the Dark Ace and live.

"Finn!" cried Aerrow, immediately speeding after him. Dammit, thought Ace, and he started to chase him.

Aerrow felt fear rising in his gut, more terrible than any other time he'd ever felt it. He didn't want to lose Finn, not now, not after he was able to call him his. He could see Finn's eyes...but they weren't scared. They were narrowed in determination as he brought his crossbow round in front of him, levelling it to a point just beyond his leader. Aerrow glanced around and saw Dark Ace tailing him, but his enemy was so focused on him he didn't notice the crossbow bolt heading straight for him until it shot through his Skimmer. He all but shrieked in rage, and hauled a Cyclonian off their Skimmer before jumping on himself. Glancing round, he suddenly noticed that was his last ally. The other Storm Hawks were closing in while his soldiers all floated lazily to the ground around him. He was outnumbered. He looked back at Aerrow just in time to see him swoop underneath Finn's body the second before it would have hit the rocks. He gnashed his teeth in frustration. So close. Angrily he looked around him and weighed his chances. Against only one of them he would have no problem -probably- but against them all he didn't have much of a chance. Before they could get any closer he turned his bike and ran, speeding back off to his Master's palace. Next time, he smirked. Next time.

Finn stared at Aerrow as his leader flew under him at the last moment and grabbed him. Now he was holding him in front of him, almost bridal style, and Finn was clinging to his neck. He was going to hold tightly this time. But what he was most shocked at was the way Aerrow looked at him. The intensity of his gaze sent a shiver down Finn's spine and made his heart beat loud enough for probably the whole of Atmos to hear. Aerrow pulled him close and sighed in relief next to Finn's ear.

"You scared me." He muttered.

"Sorry..." Finn whispered, lacing his fingers in Aerrow's hair and burying hi head in his shoulder. He couldn't stop the grin forming on his face at Aerrow's concern. He really _does _love me, he thought.

"Let's go home." Aerrow said, and Finn's grin widened.

"What are we gonna do when we get back, Aerrow?" murmured Finn against his ear, in a not-so-innocent voice. Aerrow blushed, a smile sneaking over his lips.

"I'm sure we'll think of something..." he replied, and Finn shivered again.

Moments later they alighted in the hangar, where the others were already assembled. They all began to ask Finn if he was alright the second they flew in. They'd noticed Dark Ace holding him, they were worried, they'd tried to come and help but there had been too many Cyclonians. Finn waved away their worries.

"I'm ok guys, really, look at me, I'm fine." Suddenly two arms grabbed him around the waist as Aerrow finally let his fear escape him. He trembled a little as he held Finn, who looked down in surprise. Their teammates stared in shock. What the...?

"Aerrow?" Finn whispered. Aerrow looked up at him, his eyes shining with tears he refused to let fall.

"Don't ever, _ever_ scare me like that again, Finn, you hear me?" he said, trying to sound annoyed. But Finn could hear the real fear under his stern voice, and he realised how badly Aerrow _had_ been worried. Finn was used to falling off his bike and plummeting to almost certain death regularly. He hadn't thought it would upset Aerrow so much but the fact that it did made his heart swell; that Aerrow would be so concerned for him proved to him he cared and made his own love grow even more, if that were possible. He smiled and put a hand on Aerrow's cheek.

"I hear ya. I'll try; I'm sorry Aerrow." He said sincerely. He was suddenly very aware of several pairs of eyes looking at them in utter confusion. He grinned. It was about time he resolved that. Aerrow saw the sparkle in Finn's eyes; it was _that look_. But for some reason, this time, he wasn't filled with nervous dread. And when Finn began to close the gap between them, he didn't even think about protesting. If his friends had a problem with it...tough. He didn't even care at that moment, all he cared about was Finn.

Finn planted a soft, tender kiss on Aerrow's lips, before glancing up at his teammates. He wasn't worried by what they might think, but he gave them a little you-got-a-problem-with-this look anyway. Junko stared at his best friend in sheer disbelief before the penny dropped and it all made sense. Finn had always treated Aerrow a little differently from the rest of them and had never seemed to get angry with him. Junko had always thought it was because Aerrow was their leader, but now he saw that it was something else entirely. Laughing, he pulled them both into a bone-crushing hug.

"Oh you guys I'm so happy for you! You better take care of my buddy, Aerrow." He said, in a mock threatening tone. Finn was his best friend and he was glad he'd found Aerrow to be happy with. Suddenly he noticed his friends were turning blue, so he dropped them.

"Sorry guys," he muttered sheepishly, rubbing the back of his neck. The two of them spluttered and coughed on the floor but managed to gasp that it was alright, really.

Radarr tilted his head a little to the side, before crawling over to where Finn sat wheezing on the floor. He sniffed him a few times and Finn looked at him cautiously. Then he scampered up his arm and sat on his shoulder, much to Finn's surprise. Radarr grabbed Finn's nose and held his head right in front of him. He looked deep into the blonde's blue eyes and growled. Finn thought he could figure out the meaning behind his growl, especially when Radarr let go his nose, pointed at Finn then Aerrow, made a sad face then violently smashed his fist into his other paw. Finn gulped. That was definitely a sure-I'm-ok-with-this-but-you-hurt-him-and-I'll-turn-you-into-puree kind of look.

"I-I won't hurt him Radarr, I promise." He said quietly. Radarr stared sceptically into his eyes for another second, but he must have seen the truth in them because he chirped happily and patted Finn's cheek, before jumping across to Aerrow and patting his. The two of them stared at him before shrugging and standing up. Stork had entered the hangar as well, and was watching them with a strange look on his face.

"Yes, well, congratulations. It's all very...romantic." he said. The two of them laughed.

"Well thanks, Stork." They smiled. His mouth twitched in response. He didn't care much for relationships no matter who was involved. Then Aerrow noticed Piper standing nearby, her arms hugging herself and her eyes down. He looked at Finn, who'd followed his eyes and knew what his leader needed to do.

"Go ahead; she deserves an explanation." Finn whispered, before turning back to the others. Aerrow thanked him quietly and joined Piper.

"Um, let's go somewhere a bit quieter yeah?" She only nodded in response before turning on her heel and walking towards the bridge. Aerrow followed, trying to think of something, anything he could say to her.

They stopped when they reached the bridge and Piper leant on the railing, staring out at the vast sky. Aerrow stood beside her, his mind coming up with nothing to break the silence.

"Did you...did you even realise how I felt?" Piper said in a broken voice. Aerrow swallowed.

"I...well I suspected it but I wasn't sure." He muttered. She bit her lip.

"So what, you just ignored it? Hoped it would go away? The least you could have done was tell me nothing would ever come of it, then I could have tried to stop myself falling..." she quickly stopped and put a hand over her mouth. She hadn't wanted to tell him that. Aerrow groaned inwardly. He had hoped it was just a crush; hoped she hadn't fallen for him. But it looked like she had.

"I'm sorry, just forget it." She said quickly.

"No, I'm sorry. You're right I should have told you but I...I guess at first I thought I could forget about how I felt about him, or pretend I didn't love him. But I couldn't and now...Finn loves me." He said, unable to hide his awe and joy at that thought. Then he realised that this probably wasn't helping. Quickly he looked back at Piper.

"I'm sorry, Piper I didn't mean..." he stopped when he saw her smiling slightly. It was a tearful smile, true, but it was there all the same.

"It's...it's ok Aerrow. I understand. I'm glad that you're happy. I...well, stay that way, yeah? He's lucky. But then I think...so are you." Aerrow returned her smile.

"Thanks Piper." She nodded and he gave her a quick hug. He was glad she was so understanding and didn't hate him, or Finn for that matter.

"Come on, let's get you back to your boyfriend." She smiled and started off towards the hanger. Aerrow stood stunned for a moment. Boyfriend...he hadn't even thought of it like that. A grin spread across his face. Finn was _his boyfriend._ Laughing at how absurd it sounded, he quickly went off after Piper, determined to shower his _boyfriend_ in affection.

Dark Ace stalked through the corridors of his master's palace, heading for her throne room. She had requested he come to her the moment he returned, with, she had told him, the leader of the Storm Hawks either as a prisoner or, preferably, in a body bag. Ace was not concerned at how she would punish him for failure, not now that he had such interesting information. He threw open the door and walked in boldly, kneeling before her throne.

"Master Cyclonis."

"Dark Ace. I see you have failed me yet again. Unless you're hiding that brat in your pocket, perhaps?" she said darkly. She was sick of his incompetence.

"I regret to say I do not have your prisoner. But I have some information I think you will find useful."

"Really Dark Ace, spare me. You have once again been unsuccessful in a simple mission."

"Master Cyclonis, please, allow me to speak." She rolled her eyes and motioned him to speak. He smirked.

"Thank you. I know you wished me to bring Aerrow back but as you know I have had some...trouble in doing that in the past." She snorted.

"You mean you have been beaten consistently by nothing more than a child." He gritted his teeth.

"Yes. Well, I have found something that may aid us in his capture and the disbanding of the Storm Hawks. You see, Aerrow has an unusual fondness for that blonde fool, Finn. They would appear to be...ah, _closer_, than just mere teammates. Master Cyclonis stared at him and raised an eyebrow.

"What on earth are you talking about?" Dark Ace clenched his fists. How difficult was it to understand?

"I believe, Master, that they are together. That they are more than friends."

"So you're trying to tell me that they are in a relationship?" Ace could hear the amusement in her voice and he had to fight to keep control of his temper. She could really wind him up.

"Yes."

"And why on earth would you think that?"

"Perhaps because Finn kissed him, mid-battle. And he blushed. And he was willing to give himself up to allow Finn to go free. As hard as it is to believe, it's true." Master Cyclonis' smirk slipped a little.

"Together eh? Hmm. This _is_ an interesting development..." she smiled nastily. "Oh yes, interesting indeed. Thank you Ace. You're not entirely excused, but certainly this will lighten your punishment." She started to laugh a little. This was certainly useful information. She had a good feeling about this now. Laughing quietly she walked towards Ace and tapped his shoulder, letting him know he could stand. He did so and she patted his arm.

"Well done Ace. We can use this. That blonde fool will be the key in unravelling the only resistance worth thinking about. And soon he will be ours, and then the Storm Hawks will be, and then...then the whole of Atmos will bow down before me." She chuckled. "Before us, of course." Ace smirked beside her.

Soon he would make Aerrow pay for humiliating him, for beating him every time and ruining his reputation. And what better way to take revenge than ruining the person he loved?

Ace smirked. Oh he was going to have some fun with this.

On the Condor, Aerrow and Finn lay beside one another in the dark. Night had fallen and they were together in Aerrow's room, listening to one another breathing. Slowly they fell asleep in one another's arms, relishing the opportunity to finally be with the one they loved.

**A/N; I can't stand endings. Really. I can't write them. Anyway, there you go. I had the idea for this chapter and it wouldn't leave me alone so I just had to write it. I don't know how it turned out but hopefully you like it? Feedback is always appreciated. And if you want me to continue it, maybe write a sequel of some kind let me know, although to be honest I have no idea where to go with it. Anyhow, tell me honestly what you think. Adieu! **


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